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An Indian restaurant owner who has been inundated with racist abuse has blamed the EU referendum result for a spike in racist hate crime.

Shasiqul Islam says he has been targeted with abusive phone calls and racist hate mail since the UK voted to leave the European Union last month.

Copies of the takeaway menu for The Bindi, in Denton Burn, have been posted back to the popular restaurant boss with abusive slurs scrawled on them.

And Shasiqul, who has owned The Bindi for 15 years, said he has been left upset and angry over the racism.

He said: “My heart just dropped when I read it. To write a thing like that and deliver it through my letter box, it is just so shocking.”

The restaurant has also received abusive phone calls, with callers telling Shasiqul and his staff to “go back to your own country”.

Shasiqul Islam from The Bindi restaurant

He said: “I think the EU referendum was the trigger, people are frustrated and angry and this brought it all to the surface.

“If the Government had been doing it’s job properly people wouldn’t be confused and angry.”

Shasiqul is of Bangledeshi heritage and was born in Britain where he has lived all of his life, moving to Newcastle from London in 1982.

And the father-of-five said he worries about the future of the country.

“I am a British person, everything I do is British. I am more British than anything else by far,” he said.

“I have five daughters, and as a parent I am worried. As a parent this isn’t the sort of world I want by girls to be growing up and going out into.

“My message to the people who have done this would be to grow up, you’re taking your anger out on the wrong people.”

The Bindi restaurant

Northumbria Police has confirmed it is investigating the incident after the abusive post was delivered earlier this month, and urged anyone with any information to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 280 12/07/16.

The force has said all victims who feel they have been targeted by hate crime should come forward.